25 Days of Cookies: Day 1 Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

The holiday’s are my favorite time of year to bake and it seems it is everyones favorite time of year to eat too! In my family it has always been a tradition to bake mountains of goodies and bring platters full of goodies everywhere we go. I have since carried on this tradition. My co-workers and friends are bombarded with baked goodness for a month or so straight this time of year.

I know I am a day behind, but will make sure I catch up by giving you 2 cookie recipes today.

This first recipe is one I have been meaning to share with you all for quite awhile. I made these for two family gatherings, one with the Boys family and one with mine. Ever since I have had grown men and children a like ask me when I will be making them again.

I made these gems on a whim. I always have a ton of left over bananas. I can’t even eat a banana if it has one speck of brown on it, so I end up baking many loaves of banana bread, banana cake and mixing them into pancakes (all recipes for another time). After tiring myself of these recipes, yes many bananas go bad in my apartment, I decided to try something new. The result was fabulous!

If you have a banana bread lover in your family, friend circle, or at work, these are the cookies to head to the kitchen and make. RIGHT NOW!

Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

yields 5 ½ dozen cookies

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

1 egg

4 ripe bananas, whole

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 cups flour

1 package dark chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, add shortening, sugar, vanilla and egg. Mash 3 bananas with a fork. Add bananas to mixture and mix with electric mixer

Fold in flour, salt, soda and baking powder.

Mash 4th banana and mix into batter lightly. There should be chunks of banana visible in batter.

Mix in chocolate chips.

Drop spoonfuls of batter onto cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. Cookies are done with they spring back to touch and are lightly golden brown.